The homeless might be asked to tighten their belts a bit to help the state with its budget woes.
Funding for programs that, in part, assist the homeless has been frozen by the Arizona Department of Housing. This money comes out of what is known as the housing trust fund.
Budget negotiators are looking at the fund, as well as other sources, to fill part of the $1.2 billion hole in the state budget for fiscal year 2008.
The homeless and their advocates, however, are not keeping quiet.
For the third straight year, they marched down Jefferson to the Capitol from the Lodestar Day Resource Center at the city’s homeless campus, 12th Avenue and Jackson Street. They gathered at the Rose Garden, just west of the House parking lot and spoke out against saving money at the expense of the homeless.
“If they cut the housing trust fund, that means a lot of people aren’t going to get housing,” one speaker told more than 100 people who had joined the March 26 demonstration.
Some who spoke were volunteers and shelter workers. Others were people who lived on the streets, including Sonya Garcia, editor of a newspaper for the homeless.
“I was on the street probably since I was in my momma’s womb,” she said. Then she made a plea: “Please don’t give up on us. We are human, too.”
Mike McQuaid, a volunteer and managing director of the homeless campus, said the community has not entirely forgotten the homeless. He added: “We do have friends in the Legislature and the government.”
Not counting federal sources, the state housing trust fund had a budget of $32 million this year. Most of the money goes for rural housing, but some goes into programs for the homeless. The fund comes from a portion of unclaimed state property, including unclaimed tax refunds.
Regarding the spending freeze, Charlene Crowell, spokeswoman for the state Housing Department, said in a phone interview: “I think everything was on the table this year. I don’t believe there were any sacred cows this go around.”
Mark Holleran, chief executive officer of Central Arizona Shelter Services, said his nonprofit organization relies on that funding to operate a temporary shelter for men. They can’t get into the regular CASS shelter because it’s full or they fail to comply with its stricter rules.
“If we don’t get that money and you shut down that shelter, you get 400 single adult men that get pushed out into the community,” Holleran said.
The overflow shelter was converted from a Maricopa County records warehouse. It operates on a $1 million annual budget. Half the money comes from the county. The other half comes from the housing trust fund.
Holleran said CASS has spent $250,000 of the state’s portion. He said he still expects to receive the other half, which will let him keep the shelter operating through June. The money has already been committed, he said.
According to the Arizona Department Housing winter 2008 newsletter, the full funding made the pre-freeze cut-off date.
As the red ink continues to flow, however, nothing seems certain.
In December, the governor’s budget office proposed cutting $6.7 million from the housing trust fund. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee originally sought to cut $27.8 million, but has since backed off. The current recommendation was not made available.
That’s just this year. Holleran continues to worry about cuts for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Along with offering a place to sleep, the overflow shelter gets people who have “issues” off the streets, Holleran says. The residents include a few registered sex offenders, as well as men on parole and probation.
“We look at it from more of a public safety issue,” Holleran said.
Among other things, the trust fund also helps to get the homeless into transitional and permanent housing.